1862-07-30: Raoul, William Greene, to Raoul, Giffen, Letter |
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[page 1] July 30th 1862 Dear Giff I would not have let so long a time elapse without writing to some of you, but some days ago, on the 23rd I believe Foss recd Pa's l etter and he said he would write to me in a few days, so I thought I would wait a few days for it, & besides Bill & Foss both wrote & you would hear by them that I was well. Pa's letter contained sad news for us all. We had just heard that Poor Willie's leg was taken off but that he was doing well. We were very sorry to hear of the loss of his leg but even that as bad as it was was much prefable to his death. As you will see I have dated this without putting any location, for I do not realy know whear I am. I know that we are about 10 miles from Richmond. We are on Picket It's said we are on the extreme front but I do not believe that there is a yank within 10 miles of us We left Camp last Friday & expect to go back in a day or two as we will have been out a week to- morrow. [page 2] I wrote you a letter just before leaving Richmond for the Peninsulor but it seems that you never got it as you have never mentioned it. At that time I recd one from you asked me how I spent my time in camp. We had been runing about so much that our time was mostly spent on the march or in bivouacs. I will tell you how I have spent my time lately since we have ben in regular camp We have Reville at half past four. Take break- fast at about 8. Then we amuse our selves in various ways some times going for blackberres of which there is any quantity here. When I can get books I read a great deel but books are not very plentiful in camp. Often there are details for cleaning up camp We often go bathing. At 3. we have dinner at 7. another Roll call. At 9. another Roal call. There is all ways some thing to relieve the monotony It is not such a monotonous & lonesome life as I thought it would be. It this Picket duty that I get tired of. Some feign to like it better than camp but I dont believe it. By your last letter you seem to think that the war would not continue till the end of the year what do you think of it now? What do you think now? I did think so but now it is the last [page 3] of July, time seems to fly by so swiftly and operations progress so slowly that I begin to doubt so speedy a termination. What a glorious defense Vixburg has made We heard yesterday that the whole Yan- kee fleet had drawn off & left it, despairing of ever doing any thing with the noble little town Glorious Noble Vixburg! I wish that N.O. could have done the same. Evry one here thinks that Vandorn is directing his opperations against N.O. & that the City will be ours again before two months. If there is to be any fighting they have I wish we could be in it. I would like to get transferd to Vandorn's army. If I had staid home a little while longer I do not think I should have come to Va. There is too much to do neare home. You seem to be under the impression that in the fight with [Shields?] the Yanks crossed bayonets with our men. Alph told me that his men were wounded in charges and that the Yanks would never stand untill they reached them but would invariably run. You say the Livingston Rifles had 90 men You are misstaken for they did not have 50 in the fight. They certainly sustained a heavy loss Will says I must tell you that he was in town the other day & say a throng of Yankee prisners three abreast and half a mile long. he says he never saw so many before in his life. And very probable he has not. He says tell Aleck that he has made inquire for his Brother & he learend that he is dead. He found several [page 4] that knew him. He has seen many of Alecks friends that were very glad to hear from him. Will says that if Ma could see all the orchards & fruit that he has seen here & on the road that she would be discouraged in trying to raise it then at home. He forgets that this is Ma's nature state. Well Giff it is now late in the evening I left off writing this morning with the hope of getting some thing more to say. I have or rather Bill has just received your letter enclosing one to me from mollie & I also got one from Grandma which I asure you I was delighted to get altho they were writt before Will left home. Letters from one always [acceptable?] be they ever so old. I was very glad to get Mollies & to hear that she got mine. Tell her that I will be sure to answer it. Grandma seems to regret very much that she cannot divide her strawberries with us & says she cannot half enjoy them. Tell Grandma she must philosophize in the matter What cant be, Cant be, If she cant get the strawberries to the sick soldiers she must eat them & enjoy them herself. I take evry thing easy except [occasionaly?] I get a little home sick. It is true sometimes I dine on a cracker & piece of pork & even on a cracker without the pork, but then you have no idea how I relish it. I refrain from writing about what we sometimes have to do on in the way of eating for what I would call doing very well you would think it was pretty hard times. It is not always so for sometimes we feast. The other day we bought a quarter mutton at 25 cts pr pound which is very cheap, & we bought 10 or 12 lb Rice which I find to be the cheapest thing in R. it sels at 12 1/2 cts that is dear to what we used to get it at home [page 5] but it is cheap here it goes farther than any thing else we can buy & to me it is the best. I have had rice as a delicacy evry day for a week. Well Its almost dark & I will finish this in the morning before I send it in. July 31st I see it is published that an exchange of prisners is agreed upon & terms stated They say a Maj Gen. should be valued at 40 privates. I wonder if either side will be willing to give a Maj. Gen. for 40 privates. I think that is estimating them rather low. I suppose you get the news regularly from Jackson. We hear now that the yanks are threatning camp there, that they are within 3 miles of it. I suppose if that is so you are within the yankee lines though I do not much believe it. If it is so I think Vandorn will drive them back in a short time & they will not have long to enjoy the Piney Woods If it is true I do not know where or how you will ever get this letter, but I will write it any how for I thought the same when I wrote to Pa on the 5th but it seems he did get it & quite soon too. I was glad to hear that Mrs Tucker heard from Alph by my litter. The letter Pa wrote to Foss came through in six days. I wish they could all come so straight as that. I guess if the mail does not run down as far as Independence you will [page 6] by some means or another to send to whear it does stop. Well Giff it is comensing to rain & as I be- leive I have exhausted my stock of ideas I had as well close & creep in to my little shanty made of yankey tents & keep out of the rain Give my love to all [Anden?] & [Ameridus?] folks & all Tell Grandma that I will answer her letter from camp if we get back there shortly Be sure to remember me to Miss Sallie for she thinks that I have forgotten her Giff I wish you could be here about a month just to give you an idea what the move ment of an army is while at home you can form no idea of how things are managed, at least I never had With love to all I remain your affectionate Brother W. G. Raoul
Object Description
Description
Title | 1862-07-30: Raoul, William Greene, to Raoul, Giffen, Letter |
Creator | Raoul, William Greene, 1843-1913 |
LC Subject Headings |
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865 Raoul, William Greene, 1843-1913 Antietam, Battle of, Md., 1862 Confederate States of America. Army. Washington Artillery Battalion |
EOA Categories |
History -- 1838-1874: Sectionalism, the Civil War and Reconstruction Peoples -- Military Life Government & Politics -- Military |
Description | This collection consists of three Civil War letters from Private William Greene Raoul of Independence, Livingston Parish, Louisiana, all from 1862. The letters are addressed to his brother Giffen Raoul, his sister Rosine Raoul, and Eddie Gookin. They describe army camp life, marching, and food, and discuss war news and war rumors. Two of the letters also describe the experiences of Raoul and his personal slave Will in the Battle of Antietam. After the war, Raoul would go on to become a railroad executive. |
Digital Publisher | Auburn University Libraries |
Date | 1862-07-30 |
Original Format | 1 letter |
Type | Text |
Format | |
Original Item ID | RG 1124, Box 1, Folder 42 |
Rights | These images are the property of the Auburn University Libraries and are intended for non-commercial use. Users of the images are asked to acknowledge the Auburn University Libraries. For information about obtaining high-resolution copies of these and other images in this collection, please contact the Auburn University Libraries Special Collections & Archives Department at archives@auburn.edu or (334) 844-1732. |
Language | eng |
File Name | Raoul WG letters_1.pdf |
Collection | John and Faye Vick Collection |
Repository | Auburn University Libraries. Special Collections and Archives. |
Submitted by | McRae, David R.; Coates, Midge |
Transcript | [page 1] July 30th 1862 Dear Giff I would not have let so long a time elapse without writing to some of you, but some days ago, on the 23rd I believe Foss recd Pa's l etter and he said he would write to me in a few days, so I thought I would wait a few days for it, & besides Bill & Foss both wrote & you would hear by them that I was well. Pa's letter contained sad news for us all. We had just heard that Poor Willie's leg was taken off but that he was doing well. We were very sorry to hear of the loss of his leg but even that as bad as it was was much prefable to his death. As you will see I have dated this without putting any location, for I do not realy know whear I am. I know that we are about 10 miles from Richmond. We are on Picket It's said we are on the extreme front but I do not believe that there is a yank within 10 miles of us We left Camp last Friday & expect to go back in a day or two as we will have been out a week to- morrow. [page 2] I wrote you a letter just before leaving Richmond for the Peninsulor but it seems that you never got it as you have never mentioned it. At that time I recd one from you asked me how I spent my time in camp. We had been runing about so much that our time was mostly spent on the march or in bivouacs. I will tell you how I have spent my time lately since we have ben in regular camp We have Reville at half past four. Take break- fast at about 8. Then we amuse our selves in various ways some times going for blackberres of which there is any quantity here. When I can get books I read a great deel but books are not very plentiful in camp. Often there are details for cleaning up camp We often go bathing. At 3. we have dinner at 7. another Roll call. At 9. another Roal call. There is all ways some thing to relieve the monotony It is not such a monotonous & lonesome life as I thought it would be. It this Picket duty that I get tired of. Some feign to like it better than camp but I dont believe it. By your last letter you seem to think that the war would not continue till the end of the year what do you think of it now? What do you think now? I did think so but now it is the last [page 3] of July, time seems to fly by so swiftly and operations progress so slowly that I begin to doubt so speedy a termination. What a glorious defense Vixburg has made We heard yesterday that the whole Yan- kee fleet had drawn off & left it, despairing of ever doing any thing with the noble little town Glorious Noble Vixburg! I wish that N.O. could have done the same. Evry one here thinks that Vandorn is directing his opperations against N.O. & that the City will be ours again before two months. If there is to be any fighting they have I wish we could be in it. I would like to get transferd to Vandorn's army. If I had staid home a little while longer I do not think I should have come to Va. There is too much to do neare home. You seem to be under the impression that in the fight with [Shields?] the Yanks crossed bayonets with our men. Alph told me that his men were wounded in charges and that the Yanks would never stand untill they reached them but would invariably run. You say the Livingston Rifles had 90 men You are misstaken for they did not have 50 in the fight. They certainly sustained a heavy loss Will says I must tell you that he was in town the other day & say a throng of Yankee prisners three abreast and half a mile long. he says he never saw so many before in his life. And very probable he has not. He says tell Aleck that he has made inquire for his Brother & he learend that he is dead. He found several [page 4] that knew him. He has seen many of Alecks friends that were very glad to hear from him. Will says that if Ma could see all the orchards & fruit that he has seen here & on the road that she would be discouraged in trying to raise it then at home. He forgets that this is Ma's nature state. Well Giff it is now late in the evening I left off writing this morning with the hope of getting some thing more to say. I have or rather Bill has just received your letter enclosing one to me from mollie & I also got one from Grandma which I asure you I was delighted to get altho they were writt before Will left home. Letters from one always [acceptable?] be they ever so old. I was very glad to get Mollies & to hear that she got mine. Tell her that I will be sure to answer it. Grandma seems to regret very much that she cannot divide her strawberries with us & says she cannot half enjoy them. Tell Grandma she must philosophize in the matter What cant be, Cant be, If she cant get the strawberries to the sick soldiers she must eat them & enjoy them herself. I take evry thing easy except [occasionaly?] I get a little home sick. It is true sometimes I dine on a cracker & piece of pork & even on a cracker without the pork, but then you have no idea how I relish it. I refrain from writing about what we sometimes have to do on in the way of eating for what I would call doing very well you would think it was pretty hard times. It is not always so for sometimes we feast. The other day we bought a quarter mutton at 25 cts pr pound which is very cheap, & we bought 10 or 12 lb Rice which I find to be the cheapest thing in R. it sels at 12 1/2 cts that is dear to what we used to get it at home [page 5] but it is cheap here it goes farther than any thing else we can buy & to me it is the best. I have had rice as a delicacy evry day for a week. Well Its almost dark & I will finish this in the morning before I send it in. July 31st I see it is published that an exchange of prisners is agreed upon & terms stated They say a Maj Gen. should be valued at 40 privates. I wonder if either side will be willing to give a Maj. Gen. for 40 privates. I think that is estimating them rather low. I suppose you get the news regularly from Jackson. We hear now that the yanks are threatning camp there, that they are within 3 miles of it. I suppose if that is so you are within the yankee lines though I do not much believe it. If it is so I think Vandorn will drive them back in a short time & they will not have long to enjoy the Piney Woods If it is true I do not know where or how you will ever get this letter, but I will write it any how for I thought the same when I wrote to Pa on the 5th but it seems he did get it & quite soon too. I was glad to hear that Mrs Tucker heard from Alph by my litter. The letter Pa wrote to Foss came through in six days. I wish they could all come so straight as that. I guess if the mail does not run down as far as Independence you will [page 6] by some means or another to send to whear it does stop. Well Giff it is comensing to rain & as I be- leive I have exhausted my stock of ideas I had as well close & creep in to my little shanty made of yankey tents & keep out of the rain Give my love to all [Anden?] & [Ameridus?] folks & all Tell Grandma that I will answer her letter from camp if we get back there shortly Be sure to remember me to Miss Sallie for she thinks that I have forgotten her Giff I wish you could be here about a month just to give you an idea what the move ment of an army is while at home you can form no idea of how things are managed, at least I never had With love to all I remain your affectionate Brother W. G. Raoul |